“Speed of Sound” Wins Music Video of the Year!

Featuring Joe Satriani & Brian Tarquin

 On Oct. 22, the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville hosted a revered music award ceremony for the independent music industry, the 9th annual Josie Music Awards (JMAs).  

Winner

Music Video of the Year (Male)

Speed of Sound featuring Joe Satriani & Brian Tarquin

Director 3Dave

The song is featured on “Brothers In Arms” featuring such iconic musicians as Joe Satriani, Vinnie Moore (UFO), Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal (Guns N’ Roses), Alex De Rosso (Dokken), Travis Stever (Coheed & Cambria), Jeff Duncan (Armored Saint), Johannes Weik (Son of a Bach), Gerald Gradwohl (Tangerine Dream), Chris Haskett (Henry Rollins Band), The Budapest Orchestra. The Album topped the metal radio charts peaking #7 on the NACC Loud Rock charts and #11 on the Metal Contraband charts. Brian Tarquin, a one-man army, composed, produced and performed all guitar melodies, solos, bass, rhythm guitars and used session drummer Reggie Pryor. The album features exclusive songs inspired by those military soldiers who have fought for their country. 

The Josie Music Awards

The JMAs are the largest independent music award show in the world, and they are privately owned by mother-daughter duo Josie Passantino-Boone and Tinamarie Passantino. The two started the awards show in 2015 after seeing a need for independent music artists, songwriters and business professionals to come together to celebrate their work and accomplishments.

Winners List: https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/10/24/josie-music-awards-2023-see-the-full-list-of-winners-in-nashville/71304116007/

Brian Tarquin
For the past 30 years multi-Emmy award winning composer/guitarist Brian Tarquin’s music has been heard by tens of millions on a plethora of television and film scores such as: CSI, Ellen, Extra, TMZ, 60 Minutes, Sex and the City, 20/20, SNL, Godzilla, Seinfeld, Cheers, Charmed, Good Morning America, The Watcher (Keanu Reeves), Desert Heat (Van Damme), The Sender (R. Lee Ermey), and National Lampoon’s Repli-Kate (Ali Landry) to name a few. He has won 3 Emmy's for “Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series” and has been nominated for an Emmy 6 times. In 2019 Tarquin received a Global Music Gold Award for his release Orlando In Heaven for “Best Album” featuring guitar legend Larry Coryell.

New John Roy Zat Album: Where Zat

Folk/Americana, Singer-Songwriter Fiddler

North California Folk/Americana singer-songwriter and fiddler John Roy Zat has a new album, Where Zat.  Released in November 2021, the album was produced with Ed Tree (Rita Coolidge, Juice Newton, Al Stewart). It is available on streaming media and for sale on Bandcamp at johnroyzat.bandcamp.com/releases.  

It features ten new songs, including:  “American Dream Cafe” with small town views on a changing world;  “I’m A Salmon In The River” about love from the perspective of a fish;  “I Took Hold Of Your Hand” about human love; and “California Is A Dream” -- and more!

Where Zat’s first music video, “I’m a Salmon In The River” was released today -- Friday, January 28.  It is a photo essay with images of rivers, fishermen, bears and salmon: “I’m a salmon in the river swimming upstream. I'm a salmon in the river, no one's gonna catch me. A thousand miles I travel, to find love in the gravel . . . ”  The video is live on YouTube.

John has been songwriting and fiddling for a while. In 1977, he played fiddle on Kate Wolf’s recording of his co-write with Texas fiddle legend, Luke Thomasson, “Midnight on the Water.”  The recording was released on Kate's second album, Lines On The Paper (Kaleidoscope Records), and has since been recorded and performed by Banish Misfortune, Caroline Herring and many others. 

 John’s previous albums, WHO ZAT?,  Collaborations, and Solo, have received consistent airplay on independent radio and charted well on Roots Music Report and other radio playlists.

 Born in Paris, John grew up in Saigon, Washington DC, Cannes, Bangkok, and Southern California.  He has been a touring artist, band member, and a musician with a day job, raising his family!  His last job in the corporate world was as CFO of The Asia Foundation, a non-profit focused on improving government in Asia.  As of June 2011, John is back to writing and performing full time. He has some stories to tell.